Factors associated with nutrition risk among community-dwelling older adults in Thailand

This study was to investigate socio-demographic, chronic conditions and health factors associated with nutrition risk among Thai community-dwelling older adults. This was a cross-sectional study, involving 330 participants aged >= 60 years living in low-income suburban Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand. Of the 330 participants, 54.8% were at nutritional risk based on the Mini Nutritional Assessment. Multivariate analysis indicated factors significantly associated with nutritional risk were: aged >= 80 years (OR:8.59, 95% CI = 2.94-25.11), low income (OR: 2.35, 95% CI = 1.15-4.78), living alone (OR: 2.02, 95% CI = 0.20-0.78), moderate to severe pain (OR: 5.88, 95% CI = 2.30-15.02), dyslipidemia (OR: 5.12, 95% CI = 2.23-11.77), osteoarthritis (OR: 2.49, 95% CI = 1.14-5.48), poor physical performance (OR: 1.49, 95% CI = 1.70-3.15), and >= 1 fall in the previous year (OR: 2.22, 95% CI = 1.21-4.07). Results point to the need for multifactorial interventions to reduce risk for geriatric nutrition problems. Further studies are needed to determine effective solutions to the problem of malnutrition among older adults. (C) 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study investigated factors associated with nutrition risk among Thai community-dwelling older adults, finding that factors such as age, income, living situation, health conditions, and fall history were significant predictors of nutritional risk. The results highlight the need for multifactorial interventions to address geriatric nutrition problems and further research to find effective solutions for malnutrition in older adults.